Deer/Hog killin' round opinions

So here you go, this is a thread based on YOUR experiences, not trying talk about efficiency, long range, convince other people blah, blah, blah. List in order from best to worst the rounds you have killed deer/hogs with. Only use you actual experience, not hearsay, paper energy, etc., just animals that YOU shot hitting the ground the quickest. Obviously you might change your mind as you kill more animals with a certain caliber so if in the future you want to update go ahead.

Here is mine:

1 3006
2 30-30
3 270 win
4 45/70
5 razor sharp broadhead
6 44 mag rifle and pistol
7 7mm rem mag
8 233
9 22LR

1. .308
2. .270

Sat night I dropped one with a single shot at 133 yds with my 308. Sun AM I shot one 3 times at 50 yds with the same 308, with the same round and that little bastard still ran off! There is no magic answer.

The bigger the hammer I think matters, particularly if you already own it. A better quality round also matters. I'm going to try some bonded/partitioned rounds vs my $18 box Winchester Power Points.

There's a significant amount of satisfaction in clicking off several rounds in succession at a hog/sounder on the run that only a semi can deliver.

So am i correct in assuming your list is:
1 308
done

300 Blk Out

Is that the only round you have ever used on deer and hogs?

7x57 for the highest percentage of DRT
30-06 next
300 blk
243
30-30
44mag carbine

7 Rem Mag
7mm-08
7mm-08 A.I.
6.5 Creedmoor
.260 Rem
.308 Win

All work just fine, of course some are better when distance is added. All but the .308 are loaded with heavy for cartridge bullets.

375 H&H (had to be the deadest DRT whitetail doe I've seen)
7 Rem Mag
30-06
220 Swift
223
44 Rem Mag (rifle)
17 HMR

I keep trying to remember if I've ever killed a hog, other than in a trap, with a 22LR and I can't think of a single time. Odd since I've killed jillions of hogs.

I can't list them all but the top 3 would be:
300RUM/180 Nosler Partition
7MAG/175 Core Lokt
356WIN/250 soft point

Bottom line is if you break thier shoulders down they drop.

Nope. The list is pretty long, but off the top of my head- 270 Win, 308 Win, 300 WM, 300 blk out (2-3 rifles), 223, 44 Mag, 450 Marlin, 22 Mag (a few pigs), 40 S&W and 10mm (both for deer and pigs) .

In all the calibers listed, the #1 factor is shot placement. A poor shot from a 300 RUM is still a poor shot and a great shot from a 40 S&W is, well, great.

For me the list is over 30 long and like Chad said #1 factor is shot placement

I will say none were any deader shot with a 300WBY, 7mmSTW or 45-70 than those shot with 22 Hornet, 25-20 or 17 Remington. Understand your limitations and your cartridges limitations sty within those and make a good shot or pass on a shot if it is outside limitation comfort.

That said i have killed more deer with a 7mm-08 than any other round, these days I hunt mostly wit a 6.5 Grendel or 357 Mag Marlin 1894. Do not feel under gunned with either one.

30-06
30-30
300 Savage
.243
.308
.25-06
.223
.45ACP

For deer and hogs up to 200-225 yards...just my experience.

1. 30-06, I’m prob 10 for 10 maybe a little more on 1 shot and drop kills

I’ve used maybe 5-6 others over the years on maybe 10-12 more deer and it’s just hit or miss wether they go 50 yards, 150 yards or drop. My daughter dropped a doe this year w a .223

So in order...

1. 30-06
2. 223 (first gun)
3. 30-30 (second gun)
4. .270
5. .243
6. .308

I guess that’s a most to least kills with list

I’ve got a .450 Bushmaster I’m real eager to kill something with but haven’t had the chance...

But the Ole 30-06 never let me down even once

22
22 Hornet
223
22-250
243
7-08
7X57
30/30
30-06
44 mag

The only problem I had was one hog with the 22-250. I hit him under the eye with a VMAX. It was windy and I was aiming for the ear. The bullet didn’t penetrate and the pig got back up when I got up to it. One between the eyes put him down. I switched over to the 45gr. TSX and haven’t had anything walk away from it.

List in order of how you remember please and you don't have to list every cartridge , just list the order of most DRTs to least for you, Every cartridge doesnt have to be listed, just ones that stuck out the most maybe. Thanks

List in order of how you remember please and you don't have to list every cartridge , just list the order of most DRTs to least for you, Every cartridge doesnt have to be listed, just ones that stuck out the most maybe. Thanks

So you had most DRTs with 22s and least with 3006/44 mag, or is your list upside down, doesn't matter to me, just want to make sure as the list was supposed to be in order of most DTRs to least. Thanks

Little clarification for those that are having trouble with the idea. List the cartridges in order from most DRTs to least that only you have shot.. It doesn't have to be every cartridge you have ever used, matter of a fact it would be best if had shot at least a couple of deer/hogs with the cartridge. Obviously shot placement matters, so if you only shot deer in the [censored] with one cartridge then maybe consider that was you and not the round. Please put your post in list form from most DRTs to least, this is the premise to this thread, not much else, Thanks

I didn’t read that we were talking about deer too. I’ve lost deer with a 30/30, 243, and 270. I think mostly because the bullets back in the day weren’t as good as they are now and I shot a lot of deer on the run walking canyons and draws.
Deer included I’ve killed them with the above calibers as well as:

270
284 win
7 mag
300 mag
308 Norma mag

My favorite all around Rifle is my 7-08.

So which cartridges had the most DRTs to least, not just what have you shot with. For YOU, which tended to be the best killers, in list form from best to worst, that is the question?

50 BMG 750 grain SP, 300 Wby 180 grain Barnes, .50 Beowulf 400 grain SP Have all worked for me!

Sorry. The most DRT deer I’ve had were with the 22-250, well over a 100 because they were all standing still and shot in the neck or head.

You specified deer/hogs, so these are all WT deer, no head or neck shots.
Top Ten I remember the most-
1) 7MM-308
2) 280 Rem
3) 300 Ultra
4) 300 Savage
5) 25/06
6) 454 Casull (Revolver)
7) 7MM Rem Mag
8) 243 Win
9) 45/70 (shot with 500 grain lead solid and the dang thing ran 75 yards leaving a 2" wide non stop blood trail)
10) 22-250

30-06
x39
x51

338-06
375 H&H
7-08

The 338-06 must have been set up perfectly. The 225g Hornady Interbond transferred energy like nothing I’ve ever saw and still always exited. I’m sure I was simply launching it at the ideal speed for that bullet design to give perfect performance.

The H&H speaks for itself.

The 7-08 with a 140 Fusion is another that seems to be a perfect speed for bullet combo.

300WM
25-06
30-06
30-30



243

The most deer I’ve seen wounded when I was guiding were with a 7mag. But that’s because most of the folks that showed up with one couldn’t shoot it worth a damn. Killing animals is all about where the bullet is placed. I don’t agree with the behind the shoulder shot. If you’re shooting a big gun shoot them in the shoulder and don’t worry about the meat. They’ll flop over. If you’re shooting a small bore just whistle at them and shoot them in the center of the neck when they look at you. Most folks these days are shooting a deer from a blind with a rest under 200 yards. There’s no reason to have to follow a blood trail.

257R
6.5x55 SE
6.8 SPC
308 Win
338 Federal

30-06 DRT

.270 always seam to run

1) 30-06 100+
2) 270
3) 7mm-08
4) 22-250

The most DRT’s for me is my .308 with 175 Sierra Match Kings and Barnes 130 or 150 TTSX’s, which has tallied more than all of my other rifles added together and then by multiples.

.270 is in second with about 30.

7 WSM, .300 Win Mag, and .338 Lapua will lay them down with authority.

The Barnes TTSX’s (not TSX) are producing consistent results in all of my rifles and my go to choice for every hunting rifle except the one that uses SMK’s.

Overall, I have used .243 Win, 6mm Rem, .260 Rem, .270, 7-08, 7 WSM, .308, .30-06, .300 Win Mag, .338 Lapua, and .45 ACP.

The .243 is the only one to not have a Barnes bullet exit, while the 100 gr TTSX from the .260 has very consistent and decisive terminal results. The .243 works, but I prefer the .260 and larger, all of which work fine with TTSX’s and good placement to the CNS or heart.

300 win and 270 wsm are about tied at first.
7 mag and 35 Whelen are clearly next.
270 seems to give shorter blood trails than 30-06
60 gr Nosler partitions at 3500 fps really put a hurting on em.
308, 7-08, 260 all work great too, but drt's depend on CNS hits.

270 wsm is probably my favorite deer/pig cartridge.....stuff just falls down with it.

.300 wm
7/08
.260
.243

300 mag
30-06
30-30
308
44 mag
357 mag
.40 s&w
50 cal muzzleloader
223
204
300 blackout

35 Whalen with a Nosler balistic tip 225gr. To 300 yards DIT. Been my go to gun tor ten yrs

Most of my deer have been killed with .300WM, .260 and 30/30 in that order. I can't compare them because of the differences in shot placement and bullet construction. .300WM deer almost always ran because I almost always put the bullet as far back in the lungs as I could without gut shooting them. Can't say about 30/30 because I quit using it before the new Hornady bullets came out.

.260 120gr SST was pretty sweet with heart/lung shots in tight to the bone. 25 WSSM 115gr NBT seems about the same, but I haven't killed many with it yet.

Another factor to consider if we shoot different types of rifles better. Whether a 6.5CM and 6.5x55 kills better might well be how well the rifle it is in matches the shooter.

308
300 BO
30-30

.357 mag
45 Colt
44 Special
45-70
30-30
270
308
12 gauge

Ive dropped hog and deer in their tracks with every caliber I've hunted them with. The key is shot placement not how big a bullet diameter is or how much powder you can pack in a case.

270
308
6.8 SPC
223

Want to say thanks to the people who have made a list in order as requested in the OP,and if you didn't/wouldn't/couldn't do that maybe this thread wasn't for you.......

Did JG just say the 7mm-08 is BETTER than the 7mm-08 A.I.?

#1 for drt is my 257 whby speed kills or its the one I remember the most with. I've killed deer and hogs with (not in order) 45-70, 375 ruger, 300 win mag, 308, 30-30, 223, 25-06, 30-06, and 243. Bigger faster bullets cause more damage.
257 (100 mk)
300 win (200 Berger hybrid 208 bthp 208 amax 180 silver tip)
375 ruger (270 hornady sp 300 hornady solid)
45-70 (300 gr something)
308 (178 amax 168 amax 168 bthp
243 (105 amax 16" barrel)
30-06 ( 150 sp)
30-30 (150 so 150 hp 156 hardcast)
223 (50 vmax 75 hornady sbr 55 gk 75 bthp)
( Some have been used more than others screwing the order and shot placement and bullet construction)

I didn't really give it a particular order. I'll take the A.I. over the standard 7mm-08, personally. Actually, I keep the 7 Rem Mag off whitetail. For me, it is too much gun for them. Hogs? Yeah, whatever I have next to me, and however far out they are.

It would be interesting to see these posted per the original request, I'm pretty sure I can guess but would like to see the real results....

Well... Since I'm in the ammo business and speak to hundreds of customers about calibers and bullets and terminal performance, there's one thing I know. Shot placement! If you have an adequate caliber with a good bullet, the round used is null and void. I have spoken to customers about building the "ultimate" round for a 300 RUM while spending lots of money on the project. Then for the customer to not even be able to shoot the rifle accurately to get a round on target. So does a 300 RUM on paper have more killing power than a 300 blk out, sure. But a well placed shot from a 300 blk out is much better than a poor shot or a miss from a 300 RUM.

Moral of the story- Get a round and caliber you can shoot very well, practice with it, get proficient with it, then go hunt with it.

Exactly why I hate seeing kids, or women (some grown men, too) getting handed a .270 or a .30-06, to start out with. There's no point in getting behind something that will cause a constant flinch, which causes very poor shooting. There's plenty of power in many short action cartridges, to get the job done, and not cause the flinch.

This is exactly what i was trying to avoid. Please reread the OP. I was not interested in paper figures, others testimony that you heard, etc, etc. Only what YOU have shot, and YOUR PERSONAL results, in list form from best to worse. My list is compiled with MY EXPERIENCES, with similar shot placement on animals, for me that means heart/lungs. I am not trying to convince any one of anything and for this thread, neither should you, just make a list. If in all of your hunting all cartridges performed exactly the same relative to each other then i guess they can all be #1, this has not been my experience at all, but i am looking for YOUR EXPERIENCE

I think one thing this thread has convinced me of, is that reading comprehension is in short supply on THF

RJH,

Chad’s reading comprehension is fine.

The premise that the cartridge is the biggest factor in producing DRT results is the flaw.

The single biggest factor in lethality is shot placement, followed by bullet performance inside the body.

The cartridge only determines velocity when it leaves the barrel.

Bullets in the brain reliably produce DRT.

Shots to the thoracic spine between the shoulder blades also reliably produces DRT.

Shots to the heart are third place for DRT, but more dependent on a more frangible bullet and more energy.

Shots to the lungs are very dependent on a frangible bullet and even more energy to produce a DRT, and even then are not going to reliably produce DRT on a reliable basis.

That the answer to your question is different than you expected is basis for discussion rather than complaint.

As I put in my response, numerically I’ve killed 100’s with a .308 and 175 Sierra Match Kings, but every other cartridge I’ve used was equally capable of DRT results with shots to the brain or thoracic spine, other than the .243 which did not always penetrate as reliably through heavy bone on large hogs. The .243 with TTSX’s penetrate into the heart fine, but they will run 50 - 100 yards.

Here is a photo from two days ago with a 100 grain TTSX .264” at 2950 at impact through the ear canal into the brain producing instant death. The result would be the same whether from a .260 or 26 Nosler, a .308” 175 SMK from a .308 Win or .300 Win Mag, or a 300 grain SMK from a .338 Lapua. They all will produce equal results with this shot placement.

So bottom line, shot placement and bullet selection to match with a reliably accurate shooter must be considered. Chad is spot on.

RJH1 I believe my answer was in line with your question. I understand it’s frustrating to you for people to not follow your rules because it defeats the purpose of your post. Surely you realize though that this is a public forum and people are going to do whatever that want. It’s generally not so much that they lack reading comprehension it’s generally that they don’t read the OP completely or at all. At any rate don’t get too frustrated or you’ll be mad all the time around here.

I'm curious what's the point of this thread ... is there some conclusion you are trying to come to? Is there some hypothesis you are trying to "test" with this data? I think the data is close to meaningless unless you know a lot more factors going into each shot.

Regardless, I'll give my ordered list:

257 Roberts
264 Win Mag
5.56x45
.243 Win
30-06

That's right, more DRTs for me with a 5.56 than a 30-06. Doesn't make much sense unless you understand the circumstances. As many have mentioned the key is shot placement and bullet selection. I will qualify it further, shot placement and bullet selection for impact velocity.

That list is in order per the original request

You made more or less a list, which is cool. I clarified to Chad specifically and asked for a list, he answered with EXACTLY what the OP asked to avoid, what else am i supposed to think.....

If you look at my list you will notice that a 7 mag is on the bottom when it seems like it should be near the top, and that is with similar shot placement, so things are not always as they seem. And i know others have had tremendous success with that round but for me it just didn't work as well as others with similar shot placement, deer always ran and tended to bleed less, don't really make sense but that is the way it was

The point of this can be whatever you want it to be, big cartridges are the best, cartridge size matters none, x cartridge is the best, no cartridge is the best, all animals are individuals, crap happens?

We see so many threads on what is the best cartridge, thought it would be interesting to see which cartridges had worked the best and worst for each person, that was really the only point, no conspiracies.

Got it, I meant everyone else that didn't follow the instructions. I realize that there are many other variables but it is interesting to see the 25's doing well. I'm thinking some of the larger calibers being lower on the list could be due to recoil or less expansion due to speed and bullet construction. I haven't hunted as much with my 25-06 but everything I have shot has been DRT. Most previous whitetail hunting was with my 30-06 with about 90% DRT and the others down within 50 yards. The 300 Win mag was on several Colorado mule deer both DRT, I don't carry it for whitetail.

1. 270win in my experience as good as it gets for whitetail.
2. 7-08 really close with the 270 win. Maybe a tie except I have shot a lot more animals with a 270win.
3. 6.5x55 sweede. No complaints here either. A definite overachiever. Utterly dependable.
4. 7RM I only use it on deer when I'm after a mature buck and anticipate a longish shot. No issues with anchoring them on the spot. It has my confidence, I just have not used it as often as those above.
5. 30-06. Works as well as any I have listed above. I moved on to other things because I viewed the 30-06 like tits. Everyone has two.
6. 223 responsible for more dead in its tracks deer, by me, than any listed above, so I felt compelled to include it. It is my doe gun. I use it exclusively on deer to either ear hole or skull cap does, with the exception of a high shoulder shot on a 174" buck last year. It is batting 100 percent. It's capabilities are also a lot more limited than anything else on my list. If I'm being honest with myself, for a dedicated deer rifle, it is a poor choice when compared to anything else on my list.

I've taken deer with a lot of other cartridges. Numbers one through five though, at least in my experience, are among the best of the best. It has already been mentioned but DRT in my estimation is actually more a function of bullet placement than cartridge selection.

Interesting that no one listed the 6.5 Creedmoor, or did I miss it?

My list:
300 Win Mag
308 Win
45-70
270 Win
257 Roberts

I have a 6.5x55 Swede but haven't had the opportunity to hunt with it yet. I'm sure it will do the job.

Deer:
.270
30-06
.303(my first few deer in the late 60’s/early 70’s
30-30
6.5x55
.243
.223(Axis, less than 75 yards probably at night)

Have had DRT and deer run with everything but 6.5x55 and .223 which means nothing. Longest distance kill around 300 yards, vast majority under 200 yards.

Hogs:
30-30
.270
6.5x55
.223

All shots under 100 yards and couldn’t tell much difference.

270 WSM - accubonds
22-250- 55 gr vmax
6.5 creed- Berger vldh 130 and a few 147 eldm
6.8 spc - 120 sst
308 - 168 amax
30-06 -
243- 90 accubond

My list for deer
270 Win
30-30
308
300 Win Mag
The only deer I couldn't find was with the 300 Win Mag

My list for hogs
308
6.8 SPC
270 Win